Siege of Mediolanium (271)

The Siege of Mediolanium occurred in 271 AD during the Crisis of the Third Century. The Roman imperial claimant Aurelian and his Legio I Dacica captured the major northern Italian city of Mediolanium from the forces loyal to Quintillus, providing him with a strong northern base during his campaigns on the peninsula.

Background
The death of Emperor Claudius Gothicus during the plague of 270 AD led to a civil war between his brother Quintillus - who had the backing of the Roman Senate - and the commander of the Pannonian legions, Lucius Aurelianus. Aurelian led his Legio I Dacica from the eastern provinces and into the Italian peninsula, capturing Patavium after a short battle. However, his main objective in northern Italy was the major city of Mediolanium, the northern gateway to the rest of the peninsula.

Siege
As soon as his men could march, Aurelian and his legion departed Patavium for Mediolanium. His legion numbered over 2,000 men, a strength which surpassed the strength of the city's garrison. The commander of the garrison, Appius Calvisius Pulcher, was in command of 1,560 troops, a significant number of men; for Aurelian, losing the battle was unlikely, but not impossible. The city proved to be a hard obstacle for him, as nearly its entire garrison guarded the walls, and Aurelian's men were slaughtered piecemeal as they stormed the walls and attempted to capture the gates. The Quintillus loyalists fought until they were outflanked by more of Aurelian's men, upon which they wavered and fled. Aurelian's legion recuperated before charging towards the main square and defeating the last of Quintillus' forces. Aurelian won a decisive victory, and he occupied Mediolanium, the new staging point for his march on Rome.